The United States has been a major obstacle to securing urgently needed protections for Endangered shortfin mako sharks. Scientists associated with the International Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) have documented serious overfishing and depletion of the North Atlantic population, in particular, and have been advising a regional ban on retention since 2017.
In 2019, 16 ICCAT Parties supported heeding this advice, but opposition from the U.S. (and EU) prevented consensus, leaving the declining population woefully underprotected for another year. In anticipation of upcoming virtual ICCAT 2020 negotiations, a diverse array of 18 NGOs have united to urge the U.S. government to change course and help turn the tide for this exceptional species. Read the joint letter here.
